Kyle woman pleads guilty to felony child abuse and neglect, after 2 and 3 year old were found nearly starved to death

By Tessa Thomas&nbsp|&nbsp

Posted: Fri 12:10 PM, Oct 20, 2017

Several people are now facing charges after two children, ages two and three, were found nearly starved to death on the Pine Ridge Reservation in November of 2016.One of those people, 31-year old Darshan Featherman appeared in federal court in Rapid City Friday morning, pleading guilty to felony child abuse and neglect.

According to the factual basis statement, signed by Featherman, police found the two children at her mother's house lying on the floor, covered in blankets, wearing only diapers and exhibiting limited movement.Police said the two children weighed only 13 pounds apiece when they were found.Darshan's sister, Darcel, is the biological mother of the two children and gave custody of one of the girls to her mother and the other to her sister, Darshan.The factual basis statement says Darshan was unable to care for the child due to substance abuse issues.The doctor that treated the children compared them to prisoners of concentration camps during World War II, saying that they had been starved and would have died if they had not been found.The incident occurred near Kyle.Featherman faces up to 15 years behind bars.Darcel, the mother of the children, earlier pleaded guilty to felony child abuse and neglect and also faces up to fifteen years behind bars.